Polaroid - Gaara x OC One Shot
by Wolflover147
Summary: Ooookay.. So this isn't my first fanfiction, but it is my first oneshot.. And it was written on a whim. I'm so sorry if it's no good. I tried. XD All OCs (Aika, Hisoka) are definitely mine. All Naruto characters aren't mine.


_And after four years, being a kunoichi had toughened me up on the outside, but on the inside I was still the little, delicate girl that I was eleven years ago._

Sighing, I shuffled through the apartment that housed my older sister and I. Our current residence was Konohagakure, which was normally a rough three day journey to our old homeland of Sunagakure. My sister, Hisoka, was closed off in her own small bedroom; no doubt she was already asleep. I set my forehead protector on my dresser, and closed my door silently. I walked to my bed and kneeled at the side, slipping my hand underneath the frame and feeling around. After a few seconds of blindly feeling around and grabbing several dust bunnies, I finally slid my fingers across the old wooden box. I gently pulled it out from its dusty hiding place and cleaned it off. Sitting on the foot of my bed, I placed the black and silver rectangle in my lap and unlocked it slowly. The first thing I saw when I opened the lid was an aged photograph, the edges already starting to yellow.

Inside the picture was a close up of a young me – around five or six, a grin smudged across my face, with shaggy, dark bangs in my equally dark brown eyes. Sitting next to me, with my arm pulling him close, was a pale little boy with shockingly brilliant red hair, and beautiful teal eyes that were ringed with black. His smile was soft and pure.

Seeing the picture, my lips twisted into a sad little smile as I remembered meeting the boy for the first time…

_I had just been minding my own business, swinging on the swing set, watching all the other children run around and squeal, playing games of tag and hide and seek. I was blissfully caught up in my own little fantasy world, full of imaginary friends and whatever else little girls daydream about._

_I snapped out of my own little revere to the sounds of something a bit vicious. I looked around, and saw a group of children ganging up around a small, red-headed boy. I brought my swing to a stop and watched the scene for a few seconds._

_"My parents told me you're a monster! Stay away from us, you freak. No one wants you around!" A slightly older boy was telling the timid looking red-head, tears starting to well up in his eyes. My jaw dropped. That kid was being so mean! I had to go stand up for that poor boy, just how could they say that?! I got off my swing and stomped over to the group, and planted myself firmly in front of the crimson-haired child._

_"What's your problem?!" I demanded, yelling at the older boy. "Stop being so mean to him, you jerk!" I yelled, trying to be as ferocious as a six year old girl could manage._

_The older boy took a step back, surprised that some girl was sticking up for this "monster", as he put it. Slowly his look of shock turned into a glare. "You're gonna stick up for this freak?" He sneered. "Well, whatever, weirdo." He shrugged and turned away. The others followed behind. I glared at their backs and stuck my little pink tongue at them._

_I turned around to see the red-head looking at me, a look of complete shock etched on his pale face. His black-rimmed eyes were wide with confusion. "W-why'd you do that?" He questioned barely above a whisper._

_I smiled shyly at him. "Well, it wasn't fair that they were all against you. You needed someone, and that someone was me!" I said, laughing a little. "What's your name, eh? Mine is Aika."_

_There was a pause before he spoke, looking at me closely. "You're.. not afraid of me? But you heard those other kids. I'm a monster." I tilted my head innocently to the side. "You don't look like a monster to me." I chirped, slightly unsure of what he meant. "No, I'm not afraid of you. Now tell me your name." I giggled a little. _

_Another pause._

_"Gaara." He finally said. _

_I took a small step closer to him and nodded. "Gaara.. I like it."_

_Slowly, I grabbed his hand in my own little palm, "Let's go over here and play." I chimed brightly, taking him over to the shade of a couple small and scrubby trees, something rarely found anywhere near the Village of Sand. _

I continued to clutch the photograph close to me, remembering back to the day it was taken.

_After that day I stood up for him, Gaara and I became inseparable. He was my best friend, and I was, well, his only friend. I snuck out of my sister's room, clutching her camera close to my chest. I snuck out the door and ran to the small cluster of trees near the playground. _

_Gaara was there already, sitting patiently on the ground. I quickly took a seat next to him, grinning. I was proud at how easily I had managed to sneak out of the house with the prized camera. "Nobody suspected a thing! I can't wait to go to the Academy! I want to be an amazing kunoichi!" I happily yelped to Gaara. He smiled at me in response. I pulled him close. "Okay, now we're gonna put this thing to good use." I held out the little Polaroid camera in front of the two of us, " Three, two, one! Smile!" It flashed, and within a few seconds, a paper popped out, and the image of us soon formed. "Let's take one more, that way you can have one, too!" I said, preparing the camera for another shot. _

I couldn't help but to wonder if he kept that picture after all of the years that had gone by. My gaze drifted to the window. The moon was out, brightly illuminating everything. I couldn't help but to smile, knowing that many miles away, Gaara was surely looking at the same thing as I was, during another one of his ever-sleepless nights. I placed the picture on the bed beside me and continued flipping through the little things I had stuck in here. I glanced through little notes my parents had written. Momma and Papa still lived in Suna. They sent me off with my sister supposedly so I could become a Konoha ninja. Honestly though, they made me go. I had tried to stay, but they refused to keep me there. I couldn't help but wonder if it was to separate me from Gaara, to keep my sister out of too much trouble, or for both reasons.

I found, at the bottom of the box, a small note that Gaara had written me. Attached to it had been a cord necklace with a bright silver pendant dangling from it. The pendant was the kanji for "love". In the note, Gaara had explained how it made him think of me, due to the "Ai" part of my name. My hand slid to my neck. I had been wearing the necklace since the day he had given it to me. I placed the box gingerly on the mattress and meandered to the window, quietly opening the latch and pushing the panes out. A sweet summer breeze made its way in. "Gaara-kun.." I murmured to myself. It felt so good to say his name once more. I just wished he had been there to hear it.

A new realization hit me. Sure, I had had heard the news, but I suppose it never really clicked for me. Gaara just so happened to be the new Kazekage of Suna. Eying the moon, yet another thought occurred to me. 'I need to see Gaara again. I'll begin the trip in the morning. I'll tell Tsunade-sama that I'm going to visit my parents.." I toddled sleepily back to my bed, putting everything back neatly into the box, and putting the precious keepsake into the drawer next to my bed. I eagerly climbed in, covering myself with my thin blanket and closed my eyes, easily drifting off to sleep.

xXx

As soon as the first rays of sunlight peeked through my window, I was wide awake. I began to pack my things into a tidy little bag. I got dressed and tied my hitai-ate around my arm. I took a look in the mirror, placing my hands on my hips. Time had most definitely changed me from the last time Gaara had seen me. I was so tall now, and had slimmed down some thanks to vigorous training. My hair was parted on the side, in choppy layers, and had lightened to a chestnut brown, with shimmers of reddish highlights. The only thing about me to remain the same was my eyes. Physically, my body had filled out mostly to my liking. I was no longer that flat-chested little girl from the photograph. I at least had _some_ feminine assets now, thank God...

I stepped out into the apartment's kitchenette and saw Hisoka cooking breakfast. "Good morning, Soka-chan." I chimed. "I've decided I'm taking a trip to Suna." I said, matter-of-factly. Nothing she said would stop me. My mind was firmly set.

She turned around to face me, one of her eyebrows raised in a quizzical manner. Bacon happily sizzled behind her.

"Oh? Why? To see Momma and Papa?"

When I didn't answer immediately, she looked at me again suspiciously.

"Ai-chan.. You're not seriously going to Suna on your own to see that.. Gaara, are you?" She spat.

I instantly became defensive. "I never said anything about Gaara! You guessed that on your own. Even if I was, you couldn't stop me if you tried." I growled venomously. Hisoka sighed. "Aika, it's been five years with absolutely no contact with him. He's probably forgotten all about you. "She tried to reason with me, but I didn't want to hear it. "Gaara would never forget me. I know he wouldn't. Just because you hated him for Shukaku doesn't bother me at all." I grabbed a plate of food off the counter and quickly ate it so I could get on my way, and giving me a distraction from Hisoka.

Setting my plate into the sink basin, I turned to my sister. No way was I going to apologize for yelling at her earlier. "Well, I'm off. I'll be back soon, I promise. Don't worry about me, I'm almost a Jounin, I can handle it. Now that we're on good terms with Suna, traveling is safer than it used to be, you know." I gave her a small, promising smile and shut the front door behind me before she could say anything else.

I sprinted to Tsunade's, stopping only at the large wooden doors that lead directly into her office. I knocked and waited for a response. "Yes, come in," she muttered, sounding slightly distracted. I stepped in and bowed. "Good morning, Tsunade-sama." The female Hokage looked at me curiously. "Ah, Aika-chan. What are you doing here so early?" I looked to her calmly. "Well, I've come to request a temporary leave to Suna. I'd like to visit my parents." The little white lie slid out of my mouth easier than I felt it should. Tsunade looked through her paperwork on her desk casually for a moment before replying. "Hm.. I see. Well, I don't see a problem with it. Just be careful on the way to and from there, and don't be gone for too long. We may need you suddenly for a mission, of course." I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama." I bowed and quickly exited.

I made my way to the south gate, and waved to the guards on duty. "Goin' somewhere, Aika?" I heard one say. "Yeah, I'm off to Suna. I'm visiting my folks." I smiled and continued on.

Once I made it out a distance, I began to sprint. I kept it up until my lungs screamed for air. I stopped to wipe the sweat from my face and to get a drink of water. I was just starting to get through to the edge of the forest, where the desert scrub started to take over. The sun was dropping under the horizon, and things were starting to cool down. I rested a bit longer and then pushed on. If I was lucky, I could make it to Suna by tomorrow afternoon if I kept traveling at this pace. The moon was there to keep me company, and I was glad she was there to illuminate my path.

xXx

The sun was beating down on my skin brutally. I wasn't used to the harsh desert climate anymore. "Stupid hot sand.. Stupid sun. Bah!" I growled, staring at the ground as I walked. I happened to look up and caught the sight of Suna finally up ahead, and I could barely contain my excitement. I broke out into a run, and didn't stop until I had made it right into town. It appeared that not much had changed. "Let's see here, which way is home again?" I looked around, slowly remembering where everything was. I took the back way home, snaking through the alleys.

The pale, sand beaten house looked the same as it had the day I left. I slowly approached the door and knocked a few times. My mother opened the door. She hadn't aged much, other than the addition of a few laugh lines on her face. "Momma!" I smiled and hugged her. "Wh-what are you doing here, Aika?" She laughed and hugged me back. "You'll never guess who it is, honey!" She called back to my father, who stuck his head into the living room. When he saw me, his face lit up. "It's my little girl! She isn't so little anymore.." He came in and gave me a hug too. "Hi, Papa." I smiled warmly.

xXx

As night fell upon Suna, I crept out the door of the place I used to call home. I was off to find Gaara, and luckily I remembered most of the places that he'd go at night. I started out by making my way to the old playground. I made it over, the moonlight reflected dully off of the little rusted slide, and the chains of the swing softly rattled in the dry desert breeze. I sat on the swing for a moment as old memories flooded back to me. "What am I doing? I don't have time for reflecting! I'm on a mission!" I muttered as I got up, dusting the sand off of me and continuing on my way.

I looked up to the rooftops and squinted. A shadow seemed to shift on one of the higher buildings. A grin crept across my face. 'Found you…'

Making my way from rooftop to rooftop, I finally made it to the one Gaara was sitting on. He was on the ledge, looking at the moon with his back turned to me, and I had managed to land quietly on the roof. I carefully made my way over to him. "G-Gaara-kun?" I whispered. He tensed and slowly looked around; his eyes were so bright, even in the dark. They narrowed as he tried to figure out who I was. He stood up and looked me over, not able to figure it out. "Who are you and what do you want," he growled, his voice surprising me at how deep it had gotten. I glanced over him and noticed how much he had grown. Seeing him eyeing my forehead protector and a muscle in his arm twitching, I figured that he was trying to decide if he should attack me now, or let me explain who I was first. "Oh, I guess you don't recognize me. I'm not too surprised really," I slowly pulled out the silver kanji necklace from under my shirt. It glimmered in the moonlight. He looked over it, and then looked back to my face. I then pulled out the old Polaroid from my pocket and held it out to him. He glanced down at it and then looked me in the eyes. "Aika.." He murmured, finally remembering.

I walked to him and wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much." I said into his chest. I felt him flinch at the sudden touch, and I figured he wasn't sure what to do. I looked up at him, glad that the night concealed the fire spreading suddenly across my face. " You've grown so much." I smiled warmly. Gaara just looked down at me, still expressionless, but his eyes reflected a slight warmth. After what felt like forever, he spoke again, "So have you.. What are you doing back here, in Suna?" He tilted his head ever so slightly.

"I..Well.. I came to see you." I admitted sheepishly, letting him go. I realized then that I was actually having to look up at him. The moon illuminated the world behind him, casting an ethereal glow on his eternally pale face. I caught a glimpse of a red marking on the side of his forehead, hidden by his shaggy bangs. Slowly, I lifted my hand to his head, and moved the bangs out of the way. My mouth twitched into a smile when I saw the kanji for love. Saying nothing, I dropped my hand back to my side.

In that moment, that's all I felt.

_Love. _


End file.
